Engaging Students in the Assessment Process: A Quantitative Analysis of Peer and Self-Assessment

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: From Hybridized Audiences to Feeding Forward: Approaches to Writing Assessment and Feedback

Abstract

English teachers spend many hours providing feedback on student papers. They do this in spite of decades of research suggesting that teacher comments are “exercise in futility” (Knoblauch and Brannon, 1981). If teacher comments do not promote learning and improvement, what methods do? This study investigated this question. Using data drawn from 326 students enrolled in 18 sections of high-school English students at three public high schools, the study found that engaging students in the assessment process – through evaluating anchor papers and peer- and self-assessing – produces greater improvements than teacher feedback. We found the average increase was 1.17 points and the effect size was .91. These results should encourage teachers to cede control of the assessment process to students.

Authors

• Jason Bowman, Notre Dame of University Maryland

• Patricia M Dwyer, Notre Dame of Maryland University

• Mark J. Fenster, Notre Dame of Maryland University

• Margaret Ellen Mahoney, Notre Dame of Maryland University